Magic Trick
by deus ex caeli
Summary: A fluffy Lockon/Setsuna piece. It's late, it's storming outside, and Setsuna can't get to sleep. Lockon offers him an interesting solution...


The rumbling of thunder and the crackling of lightning unnerves Setsuna, if only because it reminds him so much of the sounds of war. Stuck aboard the presently grounded Ptolemy (some nonsense about necessary maintenance which apparently couldn't be done in space), Setsuna buries his head further into his starchy pillow, biting his lip to suppress soft whimpering.

_I shouldn't be like this, _he mentally chides himself again and again. _This is stupid, this is cowardly, this is pathetic, this is…_

This is the one thing Setsuna fears – things beyond his control, forces of nature that no human could hope to manipulate. Setsuna shudders at the bomb shells masquerading as rain drops, at the deafening explosions disguised as earthly booms. He cowers helplessly. The whole world is terrifyingly alive, and Setsuna wants no part of it.

There are footsteps approaching outside his doorway, but Setsuna does not notice them, as he has stifled himself in sheets and comforting thoughts, the few that he is able to conjure. A knock follows moments later. Setsuna grunts vaguely in acknowledgement; it is arbitrary and automatic, a canned response that is all but typical for the young Meister. The electronic door hisses open, and the grinning face of Lockon Stratos greets him.

"So this is where you ran off to, huh?" Lockon scolds him in his teasing fashion, propping a hand up on the wall. Setsuna is not in the mood for games, and turns his huddled body away. Lockon's grin fades, replaced by a frown that does not suit him.

"Setsuna?" he ventures, more cautiously now. Setsuna is stubbornly silent. Lockon cannot help but sigh with nostalgia; it was not terribly long ago that he too put up childish barricades, huffed and puffed until he got what he wanted, however long it took. But Setsuna was different. He threw no such tantrums. Instead, he withdrew into himself, which worried Lockon even more.

Bracing himself for Setsuna's potentially volatile reaction – the kid was about as predictable as a wild animal – Lockon treads past the sanctuary's borders and slips into the cave of the beast. Setsuna is immediately alert when the mattress sags underneath the other's weight, his lips curling into a snarl. Lockon knows better than to violate his privacy. But the storm rages to a feverish height, an inopportune time for Setsuna, and he quivers and is once more unaware of Lockon's presence.

Lockon's hand darts out on impulse to rest upon Setsuna's shoulder, but he stops short of touching the boy, realizing his aversion to contact. He scratches his head and contemplates what to say, what could be of some relief to the boy. He ends up grasping at straws, but fruitlessly pursues conversation regardless.

"I never pictured someone like you being afraid of storms," he chuckles lightheartedly though the situation is anything but. He can tell Setsuna is listening, for his breaths slow, and his shaking calms to a still. The boy remains quiet while Lockon speaks.

"You're pretty brave on the battlefield, y'know. When I was your age, I never thought about raising a violent arm against anybody."

This is a lie, and at the back of his mind Lockon wonders if Setsuna recognizes it too. In the face of deceit, he continues, "Honestly, it's not an uncommon fear. Hell, I'm scared to death of spiders, and I could snipe those little buggers from a mile away."

The confession—also false—finally catches Setsuna's attention. A hesitant hazel eye peers over at Lockon.

"Really?" Setsuna asks, his voice unusually timid. Lockon nods and taps a finger against his own forehead.

"It's all up here," he assures the boy, winking in his direction. "Just a figment of your imagination. A rouse! No more than a simple magic trick. You ever see one of those?"

Setsuna shifts to an upright position on the bed and shakes his head dumbly. Lockon's expression lights up and he breaks into a broad smile. Lockon signals Setsuna to wait, and reaches into his pocket. The boy watches and ignores his violently flashing window, a rare curiosity piqued.

"This here's my lucky coin," Lockon explains as he pulls out a battered nickel, showing it to Setsuna. Setsuna is skeptical at best.

"It doesn't look very lucky," he mutters. Lockon juts an accusing finger at Setsuna and glares.

"Patience, patience, my eager young friend. Now, observe closely."

Setsuna means to ask what in the hell Lockon intends to _do_ with the coin, but is all at once mesmerized when he closes his fists and quickly flicks his fingers open again. Lockon's palms are empty, and Setsuna is flabbergasted.

"Where did it go?" he clamors, checking under the covers, up Lockon's sleeves, even climbing on top of the man to search the remainder of his clothing. Lockon smirks to himself and barely holds the ardent pilot at bay.

"Calm down, Setsuna, I'm not done yet."

"What are you talking about? The coin disappeared."

"Not for long," he purrs, catching Setsuna by the ear. The boy yelps in surprise and slaps Lockon's wrist away. Lockon is undeterred, however, and beams triumphantly, holding up the very same coin from before, fished out of presumably nowhere. Setsuna's eyes widen to saucers, and Lockon chokes back his laughter.

"How did you do that?" Setsuna demands, his mouth forming a frustrated pout. Lockon throws up his hands in surrender and shrugs, much to Setsuna's aggravation.

"My lips are sealed," he crows. "A good magician never reveals his secrets."

Setsuna is cruelly blunt in return. "You're not a magician. That was just a trick."

Lockon's smile softens, causing Setsuna's cheeks to flush a faint red. "You're right, Setsuna. It was."

Setsuna has no witty retort ready, and stares shell-shocked ahead. He regains himself and listens for thunder, but there is none to be heard. He scouts for lightning, but there is none to be seen.

"It was all… just a trick," Setsuna slowly pieces his words together. Lockon nods, never once losing his damnable smile. He ruffles Setsuna's hair affectionately and starts to stand, but Setsuna tugs insistently at his wrist. Lockon's eyebrows rise in question. Setsuna offers him no reasoning and elects to catch the sniper off guard by leaning forward on his arms and capturing his lips in a chaste kiss. They part soon after, and Lockon is left greatly longing.

"Say, Lockon," Setsuna mutters, avoiding Lockon's misty gaze. Rain is drizzling outside and the beginnings of a sunset peek out over the horizon, rendering an almost picturesque scene. Lockon skims his fingers along the side of Setsuna's face, and is absolutely content to be beside him and nowhere else.

"Yes, Setsuna?"

Setsuna's eyes gradually meet Lockon's again, his former anxiety replaced by something alien. "Can you show me… another magic trick?"

Lockon holds Setsuna tight, like a beautiful and beloved treasure. Arriving at a peculiar, but not unwelcome sense of peace, he whispers above the gentle patter of raindrops and shelters the drowsy boy in a warm embrace as he drifts gently off to sleep.

"Of course, Setsuna. Anything for you."


End file.
